OPENAI ROLLS OUT AGE PREDICTION TECHNOLOGY FOR CHATGPT

OpenAl has begun rolling out a new age prediction system across its consumer ChatGPT offerings, introducing automated checks designed to identify users who are likely under the age of 18.

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The initiative is part of a broader effort to apply age-appropriate safeguards without requiring every user to submit identification upfront, a balance OpenAl says is increasingly necessary as generative Al tools reach younger audiences worldwide.

The company confirmed that the technology is already being deployed gradually and will be used to adjust content access and feature availability for accounts flagged as belonging to minors. Rather than relying on a single data point, the system evaluates a mix of behavioral and account-level signals to estimate whether a user is under 18.

HOW OPENAI’S AGE ESTIMATION WORKS

According to OpenAl, the new model analyzes long-term usage patterns instead of making judgments based on isolated interactions. Signals include how frequently an account is active, the times of day it is typically used, and patterns that tend to correlate with younger users over extended periods.

The system does not require users to declare their age during normal use, nor does it immediately request documents. Instead, the model operates in the background and applies age-based restrictions only when confidence thresholds are reached. OpenAl says this approach is meant to reduce friction for adult users while still addressing safety obligations around minors.